Nightlife Nation

Earlier this week, the New Yorker took a look at the city’s nightlife options for fall citing the Knitting Factory’s new opening, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic and the opening of Carnival – an adult-style fun house – as events hip enough, fun enough and boozy enough to entice people out of their homes once the autumn air turns crisp.

As it turns out, cool drinky things are happening all over the nation … and yes, they’re inspired – and yummy – enough to get you out of your bunny slippers and into the nightlife.

Late fall will see the New York launch of The Alfred, a new eatery at The Kimberly Hotel, but it’s the 3,000 square foot rooftop lounge that’s going to get tongues wagging. Upstairs at The Alfred promises classic cocktails courtesy of Mixologist is Christian Gutkowski of Lot 61 and Bungalow 8, with 360 views, retractable glass walls and ceiling, and ambient heated floors.

Make sure to order a Pomme D’Or, a new take on the Sidecar with Hennessey VSOP, Grand Marnier, organic apple cider, cloves, lemon-infused simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon served in a chilled glass rimmed with coarse light brown sugar and cinnamon. (Mouthwateringly, the picture is above.)

In New Orleans, The Green Goddess is serving TRU Organic Cocktails in order to help restore and rebuild the Louisiana coastlines with Save our Lakes, wherein $1 from every TRU-inspired cocktail will be donated to the organization. So not only can you drink sustainably, you can help the environment while you do so!

Los Angeles is the place where Natalie Bovis Nelsen – also known as The Liquid Muse – hosts her famous monthly cocktail parties with members of her Liquid Muse Cocktail Club, a group of nearly 400 members that routinely gather for a mix of socialization and education, wherein you get to both drink and learn about awesome cocktails.

Past events have seen Cruzan Rum’s “rumologist” lead members in a tasting at Ma’kai in Santa Monica, and Natalie herself led a private tasting of Kai lychee vodka at Whist in the The Viceroy Hotel, among other get togethers. The next one is slated for end of October or early November at Bar Keeper in Silverlake. The theme? Absinthe. Check out The Liquid Muse.com for more.

BOA Steakhouse in Las Vegas is doing a hot toddy called Santa’s Bender from Thanksgiving through New Year with 10 Cane Rum and hot Apple Cider spiced with Cinnamon, Clove, and Nutmeg, topped with fresh Whipped Cream. (Is it a drink, or is it dessert? Who cares, it sounds delish.)

Chi-town inspired restaurant and bar Rush Street in Culver City is offering a Bottomless Bloody Bar for $20 per person on the weekends, where guests are not only invited to create their own customized Ketel One vodka Bloody Mary, but for a flat fee of $20 they will be bottomless (he same goes for mimosas.) And for football fans, there’s a $10 brat, beer and fries deal!

The Beachcomber at both their Malibu and Crystal Cove locations serve a Hot Apple Pie cocktail made with hot apple cider, Tuaca liqueur and whipped cream on their “Warmers” menu, which also features classics like the B52 and other hot toddys.

Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, Georgia always hosts weekend brewery tours and tastings with local live music, but this season they’ve brewed a seasonal side-project beet called Pumkinfest, with – as the label states – “all the complex maltiness of a great Oktoberfest lager with the delicate spiciness of grandma’s fresh baked pumpkin pie.” Tours run from 5:30 to 7:30, Thursday to Saturday.

If you’re worried about your waistline, Boston’s The Liberty Hotel has introduced Sleek Cocktails that are all under 150 calories. And if you fall in love with your favorite, the hotel hosts a complimentary Sleek Cocktail Demonstration to teach you how to make your own (plus, you get to sample what you make!)

The Water Club at Borgata is Atlantic City’s newest cosmopolitan-lifestyle resort. In the evening the hotel’s lobby lounge, The Sunroom, turns into a cosy hideaway with intimate seating areas set in front of a roaring fireplace, becoming the perfect place for late-night cocktails. The drink of choice? Spiked homemade hot chocolate with whipped double cream.

Scottsdale, Arizona’s historic Camelback Inn has debuted an expansive new outdoor area including couches, restaurant seating, live music, water features and a circular fire pit, which is the prime spot to enjoy R Bar’s signature margaritas and creative cocktails. The hotel’s beverage director, Trudy Thomas, often uses organic liquors and herbs from the resort’s organic garden for drinks like the Acai Passion Margarita with Partida Blanco, Acai extract, passion fruit puree, and fresh mint; and a Green Apple Ginger Margarita with Cazadores Reposado tequila, ginger, and green-apple puree with a cinnamon-sugar rim.

When grabbing a cocktail at the famous Presidential Lounge at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, California, don’t miss the 17th annual Festival of Lights starting Friday, November 27th. Duane Roberts, the owner of Mission Inn, will illuminate his landmark hotel with more than two million brilliant lights and hundreds of animated figures including as angels, elves, and carolers that come alive throughout the property. And for once, you won’t be seeing this because you’ve had too much to drink!

Mixologists at St Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder, colorado are offering a new “Sweet Spot” Dessert Happy Hour daily from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., featuring bite-sized desserts under $5 each along with house-made dessert cocktails and cordials. One not to miss is the upcoming Flaming Gingerbread Man-tini, with Jameson, ginger liquor, orange bitters and a gingerbread rim.

Sè San Diego has a 7,000 sq-ft rooftop oasis, which is the perfect place to have after dinner drinks. That must be why Siren, the Sè’s pool bar and lounge, is one of the city’s go-to spots… or it could be their unique menu of signature drinks and edible, molecular cocktails. So if you’d rather eat your liquid libations, try the Cinnamon Caramel Appletini, featuring vodka-soaked apple slices drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with cinnamon, or the Deconstructed Margarita with house-made sweet and sout tequila and a molecular caviar of triple sec splashed with sprite. And then there’s the Spicy Tomatoes, with Heirloom tomatoes vacuum infused with 3 olives tomato vodka, basil, hot sauce and fresh squeezed lime.